Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi left the pitch satisfied with his team’s personality and tactical discipline, despite a narrow 2–1 defeat to star‑studded Nigeria in their AFCON 2025 opener.
His side briefly drew level at 1–1 before Ademola Lookman’s instant reply restored the Super Eagles’ lead.
Gamondi highlighted how Tanzania stayed organised against a Nigerian team loaded with attacking talent and long spells of possession. Nigeria had struck first through Semi Ajayi’s header from an Alex Iwobi corner after sustained pressure, but Tanzania refused to crumble and came out stronger after the break. A clever pass from Novatus Dismas released Charles M’Mbowa to calmly slot home the equaliser, underlining the effectiveness of Gamondi’s game plan in transition.
Almost immediately, though, Lookman delivered a moment of individual brilliance from the edge of the box to make it 2–1, leaving Tanzania with an uphill task.
“I think Tanzania played better than many people expected. Nigeria had a lot of possession, but we neutralised them well through our tactical system,” he said.
“They did create chances, but most of them came from individual quality, which is not surprising. Overall, I believe we surprised a lot of people with the quality of our performance against Nigeria today.”
